Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer meets US top diplomat Donald Lu
Jan 30, 2024
Male [Maldives], January 30 : Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer met Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu in Male on Tuesday, as the latter is on a six-day trip to the Maldives and India.
The two leaders, as they met in the Maldives, discussed enhancing cooperation on defence, climate action and the economy between the US and Maldives.
In a post on X, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives wrote, "It was a pleasure to meet @State_SCA Assistant Secretary Donald Lu and reflect on the strong ties between the Maldives and the United States."
"We discussed further enhancing cooperation in defence, climate action and the economy. The relations continue to grow, especially with frequent high-level exchanges, and we remain committed to building this partnership even further," he added.
https://x.com/MoosaZameer/status/1752164307683737765?s=20
The US Department of State in a release last week announced that the top US diplomat will travel to India and Maldives from January 26 to 31.
Lu's visit to the two Asian nations comes as New Delhi and Male have locked horns over President Mohammad Muizzu asking New Delhi to withdraw its troops from the Maldivian waters and the outrage and diplomatic sparring over disparaging remarks by junior ministers and government officials against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In India, US diplomat Lu will "lead a US delegation's participation at the India-US Forum in New Delhi," the State Department's release said.
Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey R Pyatt will also participate in the forum.
The delegation will engage with Indian government officials and members of the private sector, academia, and media to discuss and enhance opportunities for partnership between the United States and India, it also said.